Myriad golf garments and accessories are available to male golfers. Few, it is believed, include golf tools and accessories. Furthermore, the selection of golf garments and accessories for women is considerably limited. At the same time, more and more women are playing golf. Therefore, a need exists for golf apparel, especially for women.
Furthermore, women golfers, it is believed, have a significant desire to look stylish while playing golf. Women golfers also, I have found, enjoy the convenience of readily accessible golf tools, like ball markers, ball holders, tees, stroke counters, etc. Therefore, a need exists, especially for women, for stylish golf clothing which includes conveniently located golf accessories in a stylish manner.
Various patents and literature exist showing garment designs by which certain golf accessories are affixed or affixable to garments or the body. None exists, however, that: i) affixes a stroke counter to the garment, ii) affixes a ball marker to the waist area of the garment, iii) contains a pocket with multiple golf tee loops that is located near the waist area of the garment, iv) contains a back pocket of the width necessary to hold a golf glove, and v) contains a sub-pocket within each side pocket that is specifically designed to hold two golf balls in vertical fashion, and from which balls may be easily retrieved.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,517,696 to Krugler, titled "Multiple Compartment Garment Accessory Pocket," shows an exterior pocket that is designed to be permanently affixed to golf shorts or pants, or a shirt or jacket, and holds the following golf accessories: golf score card; pencil; golf tees; green repair tool; and ball marker. Unlike the present invention, on which the various golf tools are placed in a balanced, attractive manner, the pocket shown in '696 is not only bulky, but is unappealing as it is entirely exposed. Moreover, it lacks a stroke counter, a slit tee pocket and sub-pockets that hold two golf balls vertically, and is specifically designed to be placed away from the waist.
U.S. Pat. No. 3 ,968,522 to Riess, titled "Golf Ball Pocket and Improved Golf Garment," shows an exterior pocket designed to hold several golf balls and golf tees. The pocket features cut-out holes at the lodging point of each golf ball, so that the condition of each ball is visible at all times. The pocket may be permanently affixed to the exterior of an item of golf apparel if desired. As with the '696 pocket, the '522 pocket is aesthetically unappealing and is placed away from the waist. In addition it lacks a stroke counter, ball marker and slit tee pocket.
Several patents exist showing free-standing devices that hold various golf accessories, which devices are temporarily attachable to an item of golf apparel, usually by a pants clip. These include U.S. Pat. No. 4,129,237 to Grinder, titled "Golfer's Aid," showing a flexible plastic pouch-like holder for golf tees and a divot repair tool, with a ball marker snap fastened to the exterior. A spring clip is secured to the rear of the pouch, permitting it to be secured to the edge of golfing apparel. U.S. Pat. No. 4,886,196 to Plummer, titled "Body Worn Golf Accessory Device," is a further extension on the idea of being able to organize and easily transport golf accessories. This device is also adapted to be worn on the body by means of a pants clip, and carries golf tees, golf balls, green tools and a ball marker. The '196 device is particularly problematic, however, because the golf ball holder is a flexible pouch that hangs off of the device, and thus would swing freely as the wearer makes her golf swing, which is an annoyance.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,202 to Wyatt, titled "Golf Accessory Holder," also holds golf balls, golf tees and other golf accessories in a rigid, off-body device that is mountable to a belt. U.S. Pat. No. 4,893,739 to Conner, titled "Pocket for Golf Accessories," holds similar items and is mountable to a belt, but is made of a soft material so that it conforms more readily to the user's body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,736,877 to Clark, titled "Golf Accessory Holder," shows a metal device for holding a ball marker, green repair tool and golf tees, which device has a pants clip.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,625,862 to Clayton, titled "Support Assembly for Golfing Accessories," shows a device designed to hold various golf accessories, such as golf towels, club head covers and golf tees. The device is primarily intended to be attached to a golf bag.
With regard to the golf ball marker in particular, U.S. Pat. No. 5,282,616 to Stacavich-Notaro, titled "Golf Ball Marker," shows a golf ball marker with disk shaped top and bottom pieces, the bottom piece comprised of a hook and binder mating material. The top piece has a post at its center, which may be put through the user's clothes and attached to the bottom piece. While similar in purpose to the golf ball marker attached to the present invention, it is not permanently attached to an item of wearing apparel and is in fact an isolated object.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,500 to Kaymen, titled "Golf Ball Position Marker and Storage Device," shows a coin sized golf ball marker which is stored in a magnetized knob and hole arrangement, which is in turn lodged in a clip device, affixable to the waist area of a piece of apparel. The '500 marker is likewise an isolated object, and of course is comprised of a different mating system, i.e. magnetism, than the ball marker on the present invention.
Also distinguishable from the present invention is U.S. Pat. No. 5,569,103 to Sihn, titled "Golf Ball Marker." The '103 patent shows an ornamental, disk-shaped golf ball marker formed of or plated with a precious metal, which can be worn as an item of ornamental jewelry when not in use as a ball marker. U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,220 to Baldoni, shows a wrist-worn magnetically housed golf ball marker, clearly different from the present invention.
Turning to the stroke counter, several variations on this idea have been patented. Two such patents include U.S. Pat. No. 4,912,307 to Shade et al., titled "Device for Keeping Score During a Scoring Game," and U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,093 to Baker, titled "Counting Device." Both the '307 patent and the '093 patent are bead-type devices, attachable to an item of wearing apparel, golf bag, wrist, etc. They in fact appear to be almost identical to each other. The beads are strung in a serpentine manner on first and second portions of string, such that the first and second portions of string overlap one another in the passage of each bead. This design allows a bead that is moved to maintain its new position. The present invention contains a bead-type stroke counter, but of a less cumbersome design, and which can be affixed to the lower body garment in an attractive way and at an easily accessible location, unlike Shade and Baker.
Other stroke counting devices include U.S. Pat. No. 5,550,884 to Berney, titled "`Golf Counter` Device and Watch Combined with Such a Device," which shows an electronic, analogue display golf stroke counter. This is not analogous to the mechanical bead counter attached to the present invention, and moreover, is not attachable to an item of wearing apparel.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 360,595 to Lia, titled "Golf-Hitting Counter," shows an ornamental design for a golf-hitting counter, comprised of a boxy looking structure with a pants clip and display screen. U.S. Pat. No. 4,998,726 to Budnick, titled "Accessory for Golfers," shows a self-contained, rectangular case having a circular rotatable stroke counter, a retractable cleaning tool, a ball marker, an information display surface, and an eyelet to secure the device to a golf bag or key chain. U.S. Pat. No. 4,922,850 to Conley, titled "Golf Glove with Stoke Counter," shows a golf glove with a golf stroke counter mounted on the back thereof, which includes a cursor that can be moved to positions designating the specific number of strokes taken. U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,592 to Lee, titled "Golf Score Counter," shows a relatively sophisticated electronic golf score counter for counting each fairway and putting stroke, totaling individual hole scores, scores for the front and back nine, and scores for the full 18 holes. U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,191 to Narita, titled "Golf Score Display Device," shows a similarly sophisticated wrist-worn golf score keeping device. The golfer presses a button on '191 every time she makes a stroke, and the totals are stored for later retrieval of the score for all holes. These electronic devices do not appear to be analogous to the mechanical aspects of the present invention integrated into a stylish golf garment.
Finally, with regard to tee holders, U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,697 to Sheffield, titled "Golf Tee Holder," and U.S. Pat. No. 4,336,940 to Sprague, also titled "Golf Tee Holder," show freestanding golf tee holders made of a rigid material. The present invention is an improvement over '697 and '940 as the tee loops on the present invention are attached to the garment itself, in way that is discreet, easily accessible and out of the way of the swing plane.
As evidenced by the above, there continues to be a need for a way to integrate golf accessories into stylish, comfortable wearing apparel in an aesthetically pleasing, balanced manner which does not interfere with the player's golf game.